Ki Teitze תרל”א 3

במד’ בקן צפור
The Midrash on the commandment of sending away the mother bird.
נראה שאף שבאמת הוא רחמי הש”י מ”מ אין לאדם לעשות המצוה רק עבור גזירת המקום
It would seem that even though one can truly see the mercy of HaShem in this commandment. Nevertheless whenever one does a mitzvah one must always do it because this is HaShem’s commandment and not because of His ‘kindness’.
וז”ש האומר על קן צפור יגיעו כו’
As the Gemora (Brachot 33) says, if one says ‘Just as You are merciful on the mother bird so too be merciful on us’, he is silenced. For he is making the traits מדות of HaShem sound like they are logical and coming from kindness, however they are really decrees.
כי אין לאדם לומר כן אם כי הדבר אמת משום
For a person should not say such a thing even if it is true because… (the answer is at the end of the brackets)
[ונשאלתי ע”ז מלשון הגמ’ שעושה מדותיו של הקב”ה רחמים ואינם אלא גזירות.
[People asked the Sfas Emes how could he say above that the commandment is because of HaShem’s kindness, whereas the Gemora seems to say that it is not His kindness, and only a decree?
והשבתי כי פי’ מדותיו הוא כפי שצימצם הקב”ה רצונו בתורה ומצות שיהי’ לאדם במדה שיוכל לעשות רצון הש”י במעשה
And he answered, that the idea of traits-Middos of HaShem, is the concept of tzimtzum where a concept that belongs in the infinite realm is brought down to a level where it can attain physical elements. And therefore HaShem did this in order to enable man to attain a connection to Him to do His will in a physical action. However it is all through a minified version where the actual essence of HaShem is completely incomprehensible.
וכן פי’ גזירה בזוה”ק מלשון חתיכה וחלק שנחתך ונגזר מפנימיות התורה.
This is also the meaning of a gezeira – decree, that it is cut off or a piece of gezer the original source that it was a part of.
וזה אינו ברחמים.
This is not kindness rather a decree
אבל מקור המצוה בשמים ה’ מלא רחמים.
However the source of the mitzvah is in heaven where there is only kindness and compassion
וז”ש מדותיו של הקב”ה כו’] And this is what is meant that he makes the midos the attributes into mercy, which on the stage that it is in this world is incorrect.
שאין השגת האדם בגזירת הש”י בחי’ רחמים רק בגזירה כעבד שמקיים דברי רבו כנ”ל:
And this is therefore the answer to the question asked above. If this trait is one of mercy why can’t one evoke HaShem’s mercy by calling Him merciful on the mother bird?
However since our comprehension is limited to only that which HaShem reveals to us in this world through tzimtzum, therefore His true nature is completely hidden from us and all we can say is that they are decrees, for that is all we can comprehend with what has been shown to us.